We Croak

The creator of the popular app We Croak wittily reflects on how “death contemplation” is the next step in practicing mindfulness, and how it can lead to a life of ultimate happiness.

When Hansa Bergwall launched his WeCroak app in 2017 — which reminds users five times a day of their mortality– he sought to bring the ancient practice of “death contemplation” to a modern audience. Since then, more than 70,000 people have paid for the download: The Atlantic’s Bianca Bosker said it helped her “find inner peace” while #1 NYT bestselling author of 10% Happier Dan Harris said it’s a “great way to make your everyday life more vivid . . . and can make you more alive.”

Now Hansa expands on this concept with this “handbook for being temporary,” which is for anyone who wants to live their life with more courage, compassion, awareness, and happiness. Combining history and wisdom, brimming with examples new and old, Hansa talks of stoicism and Buddhism through the lens of pop-culture, with engaging detours through the art of haiku, drag queens, and more. Along with practical exercises for incorporating the practice into your everyday, you just may find that death can change your life!